Metro Council sponsor defers home studios bill

Councilwoman Megan Barry

A controversial Metro Council proposal to change the city's codes to accommodate home recording studios was deferred indefinitely by its sponsor Tuesday after some residents complained about the potential impact on neighborhoods.

Councilwoman Megan Barry, the sponsor and a likely candidate for mayor in 2015, said there was enough support to pass the bill but that it deserved to pass "by a large margin, not a narrow one."

The measure, which Barry introduced in October, would have explicitly made home recording studios legal. Such studios often "operate outside of the law," she said in an unusually lengthy explanation of the deferral motion.

"Pretending they don't exist is just another way of saying, 'Let's make sure musicians with home studios continue to operate illegally,' " she said. "Is that what we have in mind when we try to promote Nashville as Music City?"

Other council members said they had been hearing a lot from residents concerned about the impact of home-based businesses, even though such businesses are already common.

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Metro Council sponsor defers home studios bill

A controversial proposal to change the city's codes to accommodate home recording studios was deferred indefinitely by its Metro Council sponsor after some residents complained about the potential